"If we're going to find a doctor…"
Robin frowned slightly, flipping through the information of nearby islands in her mind.
She quickly locked onto a target. From a pile of Eternal Poses in her bag, she pulled one out.
"Let's go there. It's not far—should only take two or three days. That snowy nation renowned for its advanced medical system…"
"Got it."
Under the moonlight, the turtle puffed on its pipe, paddling across the calm sea toward the horizon.
…
New World, on an unnamed island—
Inside a temporary base of the World Economic News Agency, the buzzing of fax Den Den Mushi and the clattering of typewriters filled the air.
President Morgans clenched a cigar between his beak, wings gripping a stack of freshly developed photos—or were they? They were so lifelike, they looked more like hyper-realistic sketches.
Regardless, in the image, Fleet Admiral Akainu's cap was missing, and his neck was badly wounded—his battered appearance was clearly captured.
In front of him, a giant screen hung on the wall.
Onscreen stood a shivering black vulture and a sulking pajama-clad sea otter with arms crossed.
"You're staring at me like that even though it's your fault? What's with you two jinxes?!"
An assistant beside them scolded, "Don't forget, after the fall of Baroque Works, you two chose to join Lord Morgans' agency. That's how you became our Special War Correspondents."
"Now that you're official employees, you follow our rules! We gave you state-of-the-art cameras and you still insist on sketching? No matter how realistic they are, they're not as credible as real photos!"
The sea otter turned his face away and snorted through his nose with disdain.
"Chirp! Chirp-chirp!" the black vulture flapped its wings hurriedly in defense of its partner.
"He's old-school, huh?"
The assistant exploded. "Reporters don't need that kind of outdated persistence! You two had the luck to witness a world-shaking event, and this is how you waste it?! You're gonna give me and the president a stroke—"
"Oi, that doesn't include me."
Morgans suddenly interrupted, waving his wing and cutting the quarrel short. The more he examined the sketches, the wider his grin became.
Akainu's wounded neck in close-up, the battlefield where magma fists clashed with black lightning, a female vice admiral whose neck had been snapped, and the shadow of the Curtain Call setting sail in the background—
Scene after scene, like pages from a manga, vividly portrayed the battle with perfect composition and detail.
"Even though we don't have actual photos…"
The News King grinned widely, blowing cigar smoke in his assistant's face. "These are way better, aren't they?"
"P-President?" the assistant froze.
"Print an extra edition immediately!"
Morgans slammed the table, eyes gleaming with excitement. "Color these sketches and print them all! Say the camera was destroyed in the battle, and these were painstakingly redrawn afterward!"
"As for the headline… Actually, forget the headline. It doesn't matter! This is big news! Mega news! Just slap it on the front page and it'll sell itself!"
"But President…"
The assistant hesitated. "Didn't the World Government order us not to report on the Shichibukai being killed? If we publish this—"
"The World Government only told us to delay the news for two weeks, to give them time to catch the culprits."
Morgans sneered. "Now that the two weeks are up—too bad! If even an admiral couldn't catch them, that's their incompetence, not my problem!"
"They tried to muzzle me once. You think I'd let them do it again? What I want are sales! I want the entire world stunned into silence by our headlines, you get me?!"
"Besides… you think the Navy can still cover this up?"
He lifted his coffee and chuckled.
"Too late for that. Just wait. I'm telling you, new bounties for those pirates are already on their way…"
Just entering the Grand Line, and already causing this much chaos?
This ocean's future… sure looks exciting.
——
Marine Headquarters, Marineford
In a meeting room styled with Wano aesthetics, senior officers sat cross-legged on thick tatami mats. The atmosphere was heavier than last time.
The heavy sandalwood doors were shut tight, blocking outside light. Dim wall lamps cast flickering shadows across the room.
Smoke lingered in the air as a man with moss-green hair stepped to the front of the room, his face grave.
"Gentlemen."
Brannew broke the silence, raising a stack of wanted posters and pinning six of them to a whiteboard.
"The Thor Island Incident has become the most talked-about topic in HQ recently. With your rank, I'm sure you've all read the full battle report."
He swept his gaze across the room.
"But there are certain details that the Strategic Command believes require deeper analysis."
"This operation's origin goes back to the Loguetown Incident, where Vice Admiral Onigumo was slain in the line of duty. That was the first time the Curtain Call Pirates were issued bounties."
"Then came the murder of the former Shichibukai Crocodile at Whiskey Peak."
"We lost a trusted ally of the same cause, and it emboldened Shano and his crew even more!"
"According to post-battle intelligence, the fight didn't last long at all. Swordsman Shano's strength has clearly surpassed the average Shichibukai level!"
"Which is why, with Fleet Admiral Sengoku's approval, Admiral Akainu personally led the operation to wipe them out!"
"And the result… as you all know… was the shocking Thor Island Incident."
Brannew sighed.
"Vice Admiral Dalmatian was severely injured. Vice Admiral Bumaya was killed in action. Multiple rear admirals and officers were gravely wounded. Even Sakazuki-sama suffered a minor injury…"
"And in exchange?"
"The Curtain Call Pirates—all escaped! Not a single one was captured!"
"But this isn't the fault of the two vice admirals, nor of Sakazuki-sama!"
"It's our fault!"
Brannew's voice turned heavy.
"This operation failed for two major reasons: First, a mysterious accomplice sabotaged our fleet from the shadows. And second—"
"Our intelligence division severely underestimated the enemy's strength!"
"This mistake will not happen again!"
He slammed his palm against the board, voice sharp:
"Since we can no longer hide Crocodile's death, we'll reveal it all! Settle all accounts at once—with cold, hard bounty numbers, to show the world how dangerous these pirates truly are!"
"First—!"
'Rain-Slicing Swordswoman' Kuina!"
"We used to underestimate her due to her youthful appearance, even though she had reached swordmaster level. But at Thor Island, she demonstrated tremendous swordsmanship."
"She fought Vice Admiral Dalmatian nearly to a draw, and more impressively, led all strategic maneuvers in Shano's absence—proving her role as vice-captain!"
"With that strength and leadership, her previous bounty no longer applies."
Brannew continued sternly:
"After assessment, her new bounty is set at 140 million Berries!"
140 million, huh?
The officers puffed on cigars in silence.
Most of them couldn't beat Dalmatian in a fight, so if this report was accurate, that bounty was well earned.
"Next—Red-Leg Zeff and the defected hunter Smoker!"
"Together, they fought Vice Admiral Bumaya and defeated her after over ten minutes. Sure, Bumaya was a recent promotion, among the weaker vice admirals, but it still shows their skill!"
"Zeff's bounty is raised by 20 million, now at 100 million Berries!"
"As for Smoker—because of his former status as a Marine, and being Zephyr-sensei's prized pupil, his betrayal stings more. His bounty will be 118 million Berries!"
Another pair over 100 million…
With Kuina, that's three underlings already past nine digits. The room grew more silent.
This kind of crew—with no weak links—reminded many of certain infamous New World pirates.
Thankfully—
Brannew's next words provided a breath of relief:
"Next—Orange-Haired Nami!"
"Our analysts always wondered why Shano kept dragging around this non-combatant younger sister."
"But after they risked everything to get her aboard first during retreat, we figured it out!"
"She's a skilled navigator—an indispensable member of their crew!"
Brannew continued solemnly:
"We originally gave her an 8,000 Berries bounty, but clearly that was too low."
"Her new bounty is 80,000 Berries! A tenfold increase!"
"As for her older sister, Nojiko, she fought well alongside Vice-Captain Kuina, even using Armament Haki. That alone is rare in Paradise."
"Her bounty is upgraded to 65 million Berries!"
Then Brannew turned to the last of the six posters.
The majestic white-furred wolf mid-roar.
"Next is a key point in today's meeting."
"Last time, I boldly speculated that the wolf called Silver was the crew's second-strongest fighter."
"This battle confirmed it."
"Reports confirm it uses both lightning and fire powers, breaking multiple encirclements and supporting the crew's retreat. It was their greatest asset in escaping!"
"According to evaluations, its power equals a Marine Vice Admiral! Extremely dangerous!"
A wolf… on par with a Vice Admiral?
The room stirred. Murmurs echoed.
Did this mean most of them couldn't even beat a wolf in single combat?
"Silence!"
Brannew quieted the crowd.
"Considering its combat performance, the wolf's bounty is now 150 million Berries! making it the second-highest on the crew!"
"Its title also changes—from 'Thunder Silver Wolf' to 'Thunderflame Azure Wolf'!"
"And finally…"
"That man!!!"
Swish!
Brannew suddenly tore down the six bounties from the board and pinned up one final, familiar face.
That handsome, gentle-looking young man's face—the one they'd seen countless times in reports.
"The plague of Marine HQ, the most dangerous rookie, the man who stirred Paradise into a storm—"
Brannew raised his voice several octaves:
"Swordsman Shano!!!"
"He killed Vice Admirals Onigumo and Bumaya, assassinated Shichibukai Crocodile, and even escaped alive from Admiral Akainu himself!"
"With such cruelty and threat level, breaking precedent is necessary!"
"Thus, the final decision—his bounty jumps from 180 million to—"
"540 million Berries!! The highest bounty in Grand Line Paradise history!!!*"